28 March, 2024

18 Ramadan, 1445 H

"Silence saves you from regret"

- Imam Ali (as) -

Learning
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Core Curriculum

Section 1 - God, Religion and Islam: An Introduction
  • Topic 1.1 - God, Allah and Religion

  • Topic 1.2 - What is “Religion” and What’s the Point of it Anyways?

  • Topic 1.3 - Introduction to Islam

  • Topic 1.4 - A Brief Introduction to the Prophet Muhammad (s), the Prophet of Islam

Section 2 - Foundations of Islam - Theology
  • Topic 2.1 - Satan, Jinns and Angels: Their Influence in the World

  • Topic 2.2 - The Islamic Concept of the Nafs: Battling the Human Ego

  • Topic 2.3 - The Sharīʿa: Purpose and Practice

  • Topic 2.4 - Nubuwwa: The Purpose of Prophethood in Islam

  • Topic 2.5 - Tawhīd: The Unity and Oneness of God in Islam

  • Topic 2.6 - The Usūl al-Dīn: The Fundamental Beliefs of Islam

  • Topic 2.7 - Adala: Divine Justice in Islam

  • Topic 2.8 - Entering Islam: The Shahada

  • Topic 2.9 - Maʿād: The Day of Judgment in Islam

  • Topic 2.10 - Imāmah or divinely guided leadership in Islam after the Prophet Muhammad.

Section 3 - Foundations of Islam - Obligatory Acts
  • Topic 3.1 - Accepting Islam: Putting Faith into Action

  • Topic 3.2 - The Furūʿ al-Dīn: The Fundamental Practices of Islam

  • Topic 3.3 - Salāt: Obligatory Ritual Prayers in Islam

  • Topic 3.4 - Fasting in Islam, its Purpose, Dos and Don’ts

  • Topic 3.5 - The Hajj Pilgrimage

  • Topic 3.6 - The Purpose of Zakat and Khums in Islamic Law

  • Topic 3.7 - Jihād in Islamic Law and Spirituality

  • Topic 3.8 - Commanding the Good and Forbidding Evil in Islam

  • Topic 3.9 - Tawalla and Tabarra, its Basics and Purpose

  • Topic 3.10 - The Five Categories of Islamic Law

  • Topic 3.11 - Niyya: Religious Intention as the Foundation of Islamic Practice

  • Topic 3.12 - Ritual Purity in Islamic Law: Understanding Tahāra and Najāsa

  • Topic 3.13 - Other Obligatory and Forbidden Acts in Islam

Section 4 - Prophethood in Islam
  • Topic 4.1 - A Brief Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (s): The Prophet’s Childhood (PART I of III)

  • Topic 4.2 - Bio: The Prophet Muhammad as a Prophet of God (PART II of III)

  • Topic 4.3 - A Brief Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (s): The Prophet’s Character (PART III of III)

  • Topic 4.4 - The Prophet Muhammad (s) as Messenger and Teacher

  • Topic 4.5 - The Prophet and his Relationships

  • Topic 4.6 - The Prophet’s Sunnah and Hadith

  • Topic 4.7 - Ghadīr and Arafah: The Two Last Sermons of the Prophet

  • Topic 4.8 - Jesus and Mary in Islam

Section 5 - The Qur'an and Hadith
  • Topic 5.1 - Islam and Other Religions

  • Topic 5.2 - What is the Qur’an? A Short Introduction to Islam’s Holy Book

  • Topic 5.3 - The Structure of the Holy Qur’an

  • Topic 5.4 - The Quran and Islamic law

  • Topic 5.5 - The Qur’an, Allah and Humankind

  • Topic 5.6 - Hadith and Sunnah, difference and variations

  • Topic 5.7 - The Reliability of Hadiths

  • Topic 5.8 - A Reflection on Verses of the Holy Qur’an

  • Topic 5.9 - Hadith al-Thaqalayn

  • Topic 5.10 - Imam Ali (as) and Nahj al-Balagha.

  • Topic 5.11 - Taqlid and Tawḍih Al Masail Genre of Literature

Section 6 - Measuring Good and Bad in Islam
  • Topic 6.1 - Guidance According to Islam

  • Topic 6.2 - Life and Death in Islam

  • Topic 6.3 - Heaven and Hell in Islam

  • Topic 6.4 - The Effects of Our Actions in this World

  • Topic 6.5 - The Gray Areas of Islamic Law and Morality

  • Topic 6.6 - Benefits of Islamic Law in this World

  • Topic 6.7 - Good and Bad Deeds: The Spiritual Consequences of our Choices

  • Topic 6.8 - The Effect of Culture and Environment in Shaping our Religious Choices

  • Topic 6.9 - Fate and the Consequences of our Choices in Islam

  • Topic 6.10 - Trivializing the Harām

  • Topic 6.11 - Sinning Against Others and their Delayed Punishment

  • Topic 6.12 - The Three Kinds of Rights in Islam

  • Topic 6.13 - Major Sins in Islam

  • Topic 6.14 - Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins in Islam

  • Topic 6.15 - Kufr in Islam

  • Topic 6.16 - Why Allah Allows People to Sin

Section 7 - The Legacy of the Prophet Muhammad (s) and his Ahl al-Bayt (as)
  • Topic 7.1 - Islam and Knowledge: the Importance of Islamic Education

  • Topic 7.2 - The Ahl al-Kisa

  • Topic 7.3 - Imamah in the Qur’an

  • Topic 7.4 - Fatima al-Zahrah (as)

  • Topic 7.5 - A Brief Look at the Lives of the Imams (Imam al-Hasan until Imam Muhammad al-Baqir)

  • Topic 7.6 - A Brief Look at the Lives of the Imams (Imam Jafar al-Sadiq until Imam Hasan al-Askari)

  • Topic 7.7 - A Brief Look at the Life and Importance of Imam al-Mahdi (aj)

  • Topic 7.8 - Salawat and Atonement in Islam

  • Topic 7.9 - The Companions (Sahaba) of the Prophet According to the Qur’an

  • Topic 7.10 - Clerical Hierarchies in Muslim Communities

  • Topic 7.11 - Mosques in Islam

  • Topic 7.12 - The Philosophy of Karbala and Majalis

  • Topic 7.13 - A Brief Biography of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as)

  • Topic 7.14 - The Battle of Karbala: A Brief History

Section 8 - Islamic Relationships, Sects and Conflicts
  • Topic 8.1 - Islam and Rights

  • Topic 8.2 - Islam and Religious Conflicts

  • Topic 8.3 - Major Sects of Islam

  • Topic 8.4 - Sunnism and Shi’ism, beginnings and historical developments.

  • Topic 8.5 - Misconceptions about Shi’ism

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Special Topics

Section 9 - Independent Topics
  • Topic 9.1 - Muslim Converts – Welcome to Islam!

  • Topic 9.2 - Basic Dos and Don’ts of Being a Muslim

  • Topic 9.3 - Halal Food and Zabiha

  • Topic 9.4 - Modesty in Islam

  • Topic 9.5 - Family, Parents and Marriage in Islam

  • Topic 9.6 - Marriage in Islam

  • Topic 9.7 - Islam and Sex

  • Topic 9.8 - Women’s Menstruation in Islam

  • Topic 9.9 - Music, Alcohol, Drugs and Pork in Islam

  • Topic 9.10 - Islam and Science

  • Topic 9.11 - A Reading List of Islamic Knowledge

  • Topic 9.12 - Islam and Sufism

  • Topic 9.13 - Ritual Prayers and Supplications in Islam

  • Topic 9.14 - Death & Burial Rituals in Islam

  • Topic 9.15 - The Battle of Armageddon: An Islamic View

  • Topic 9.16 - The Muslim Calendar

  • Topic 9.17 - Muslims and non-Muslims in the Shariah

  • Topic 9.18 - A Timeline of Major Events in Islamic History

  • Topic 9.19 - Introducing the Qur’an: Why it is the way it is

  • Topic 9.20 - The School of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq

  • Topic 9.21 - Major Fields in Islamic Studies

  • Topic 9.22 - The Caliphate in Sunni and Shia Islam

  • Topic 9.23 - The Spread of Islam: After the Prophet until the Ottoman Empire

  • Topic 9.24 - Islam, Racism and Anti-Semitism

Section 10 - Islam, Religion, and Modern Controversies
  • Topic 10.1 - Modern Fallacies about God: where Theists and Atheists Agree

  • Topic 10.2 - Tawhīd: The Muslim God according to the Prophet Muhammad and the Ahl al-Bayt (as)

  • Topic 10.3 - God’s Existence: The Argument From Being (Wujūd)

  • Topic 10.4 - God’s Existence: The Kalam Cosmological Argument

  • Topic 10.5 - God’s Existence: The Argument From Design

  • Topic 10.6 - The Problem of Evil, Suffering and Pain

  • Topic 10.7 - Why did God Create Us? The Purpose of our Creation

  • Topic 10.8 - Why Humans Need Religion according to Islam

  • Topic 10.9 - Jahl and Spiritual Ignorance in Islam

  • Topic 10.10 - Faith in Islam: Belief without Evidence?

  • Topic 10.11 - Do Non-Muslims Go to Hell?

Maʿād: The Day of Judgment in Islam

Abstract

The nature of the Day of Judgment in Islam. When it begins, how we will be judged, and how we can be saved. The Day of Judgment is the culmination of all the other usūl al-dīn.

INTRODUCTION

Bismillāhir Rahmānir Rahīm, As-salāmu ʿAlaykum wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh. Peace be upon you brothers and sisters.

 Welcome back to the Muslim Converts Channel! So far, we have discussed the first four aspects of the usūl al-dīn. The last principal we will look into is the fundamental belief in the Day of Judgment. Whether it is Divine Justice (ʿadl), Prophethood (nubuwwa) or Divine Leadership (Imāmah), all of these principles culminate into this last fundamental belief.  

 Without the doctrine of the Day of Judgment, none of these principles would make sense.  Without belief in the Day of Judgment, one cannot be a Muslim.

Life in this world is the first phase of human life. In this life, there is choice. The life in the next world is the second, eternal stage where we will reap the consequences of the choices we made in the first stage of our lives.

 In this world we can make choices on how to lead our lives. Just because one can make choices, it does not mean that the right ones are being made. The Day of Judgment is about coming to God having made the right choices.

 In this lesson, we will look into the idea of the end of the world in Islam, the general features of humankind’s resurrection after its destruction. We will also look at humanity's accountability to God as well as notions of rewards and punishments in the Afterlife.

 BODY OF TEXT

 Say: it is Allah who gives you life, and then causes you to die, and then He will assemble you on the Day of Resurrection, which is beyond doubt, but most do not understand (Chapter 45 of the Qur’an, verse 26)

 Among other names, the Day of Judgment (yawm al-dīn) is also known as the Day of Resurrection (yawm al-qiyāma). Another name for resurrection is maʿād, which literally means to “come back” as in coming back to life after death.

The Day of Judgment in Islam is the day when all humans will be resurrected after their death. The event prior to the Day of Judgment is the total destruction of the world and all life on earth. When the world reaches its peak in corruption and its lowest point in religious faith, a final war between good and evil will take place.

 The religion of Islam holds that at the peak of the world’s darkness, God will send a savior. This savior is the 12th Imām of the Ahl al-Bayt (as) who is known as al-Mahdī. He is believed to come and rectify the world’s corruption and bring justice and faith to all of humanity.  

This final event of Imām al-Mahdī’s (aj) reappearance will set the stage for the total end of the world. The Mahdī is believed to be the promised messiah of Islam. His death will mark the end of the world and the beginning of the Day of Judgment.  

 According to Islamic tradition, when Allah wills to bring the Day of Judgment into effect, He will send down the Archangel Isrāfīl who will blow his trumpet and destroy the world with all life in it. Isrāfīl will then blow his trumpet and the world will come back again and all the humans that ever lived on the eath will be resurrected to life again.  

 As resurrected people, every single human on earth will stand before God and account for all his or her deeds. Foremost of all, people will account for the state of their spiritual hearts. When they lived, how much of a role did God have in their lives? How did they treat people, animals and nature? Did they waste their lives pursuing trivial matters? What was their relationship with God’s Prophets? Did they reject them out of hand even after coming to know the truth?

 According to Islam, each human being will be given a book where all their deeds will be written in. The misdeeds that they did will be shown in front of them. Perhaps you can think of a video that recounts all that you did, except that at this point it will be available for all to watch.  

 When humans will be questioned by God and His angels, people at times will not even be able to speak; their body parts will start speaking on their behalf and confess the kind of deeds they did whilst they were alive.

 It is not known when the Day of Judgment will begin, but it can be said that on some level, it begins in the grave after one dies. When humans die, people are visited by two angels called Munkir and Nakīr who come to test the state of people’s souls and their relationship to God in the grave.  

 Part of the process of testing is asking them questions regarding Allah. If they led godly lives while they were alive, they will be able to answer the questions in a positive way and pass the initial phase of judgment.  

 However, if they spent their lives rejecting God, they will have a harder time answering these questions the right way.  

So as you can see, the questioning by angels is the beginning phase of the Day of Judgment.

 On the Day of Judgment, a person's deeds and his or her relationship with God will be questioned.  

But we shouldn't forget that salvation does not depend only on human actions, but also on the justice and mercy of God. If Allah were to judge humanity solely based on His justice, very few would be able to enter heaven, if none at all. However, according to Islam, the mercy of God supersedes His justice. This means that although many will fall short, they will enter paradise by the grace of God.

 So let's recap and see how the Day of Judgment is connected to the other principles of the Usul al-Din:

 On their own, humans cannot know about the Day of Judgment or the requirements needed for salvation. As such, out of His justice, Allah must send Prophets to warn humankind of the Day of Judgment and prepare them for it by giving them guidance. Imāmah is a guardianship mechanism whereby the original instructions and correct form of guidance is preserved after Prophethood ends.

Isrāfīl

Angel who brings the Day of Judgment

Yawm al-Dīn

Day of Reckoning

Qiyāma

Day of Resurrection (Day of Judgment)

 

Maʿād

Day of Resurrection (Day of Judgment)

Munkir and Nakīr

Angels in the grave who question about our relationship to God

Mahdī

The 12th Imām who will come in the end of times and spread good and justice around the world.

Q1

What is the Day of Judgment?

The day all humans and jinns are resurrected and put to trial before God and questioned about the kind of life they led when they were alive. Did they worship God? Did they commit evil deeds or good deeds? The Day of Judgment will decide whether or not humans will enter heaven or hell.

Q2

What is the difference between Qiyāmah and Maʿād?

They are both the same thing, they refer to the resurrection on the Day of Judgment. Qiyāmah literally means to rise up, and Maʿād means to return back to life.

Q3

Who is Isrāfīl?

The archangel who will blow his trumpet and bring about the Day of Judgment.

Q4

What is one way we will be judged on the Day of Judgment?

We will be presented with two books, one which recorded our good deeds and the other which recorded our bad deeds. Depending on the balance of deeds and God’s mercy, we will either enter hell or heaven.

Q5

Who are munkir and nakīr?

They are the angels in our grave that will ask us about our relationship with God.

Day of Judgment
Day of Judgment according to islam
qiyamah
qiyama
qiyaama
maʿaad
maʿad
end of the world
the Mahdi
justice
usul al-dīn
usoole deen
prophethood
divine justice
ʿadl
end of times
Muslims
Muslim God
Day of Resurrection